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Drivers Deprived of their Mini-Buses

May 11, 2011

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

The mini-bus drivers, who gave ride to the protest rally participants on May 9th in Kakheti by the order of Georgian Party, were deprived of their mini-buses. According to the drivers, the law-enforcement officials did not clarify the reason of the seizure of their mini-buses.

On May 9th, during the protest rally of Georgian Party, several cars of patrol police and the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs followed the mini-bus column. According to the law-enforcement officials, they were ensuring the security of the assembly. In reality, they were registering the people and writing down the license numbers of their cars.

“On May 9th, by the order of Georgian Party, I brought people to Telavi, Erekle square. Then I brought them back. The party paid me for the service. I did not have any problem that day. On May 10th, I went to Tbilisi from Gurjaani as usual. In the evening, when I was coming back, the patrol police stopped me in Chalaubani. They did not tell me the reason. They took down the passengers, called the evacuator and took the mini-bus. I asked them why they were depriving me of my car. They said that I would find out in Telavi. I have not left for Telavi yet,” – states one of the drivers Giorgi Varamashvili.

Two more drivers Dato Lazashvili and Misha Tsankashvili were also deprived of the mini-buses.

According to the member of Georgian Party Davit Nikolashvili, they contacted the drivers who were deprived of their mini-buses yesterday.

“They said that patrol police told them that they were punished for the participation in the protest rally. The drivers never participated in the protest rally. They just transferred the people. We paid them for the service,” – states Nikolashvili.

The Kakheti Agency of Patrol Police has not commented on the issue yet.

The drivers who rendered service to the Georgian Party on May 9th had problems with the law-enforcement in the Sighnaghi region as well.

The driver of Khornabuji-Rustavi line Akaki Jikurashvili was detained by the security officials on May 10th in Tsnori in the morning. He was interrogated in the building of railway station.

According to the Rustavi railway station, the mini-bus of Khornabuji-Rustavi line was supposed to enter the railway station at 11:30 pm, but it never entered the station on May 10th.

“Why I did not enter the station? Why do you want to know? Stop bothering me. I have no complaints,” – stated the driver Akaki Jikurashvili.

The deputy Governor of Kakheti Giorgi Sibashvili does not confirm the fact of the seizure of the mini-buses.

The Human Rights Center requests the raising of criminal case on the seizure of mini-buses by the patrol police officials in the village Chalaubani of Gurjaani region.

 The Human Rights Center addressed the Gurjaani Office of Prosecutor with a complaint. “According to our acknowledgements the acts of the patrol police constituted the actions envisaged by the article 156 (Persecution) and article 332 (Abuse of Official Authority) of Criminal Code of Georgia. We are asking to start the investigation,” – stated the complaint.

Human Rights Center thinks that the seizure of mini-buses was politically motivated and the police persecuted the citizens and abused their authority.

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